Another Newbie

[Michael7]

Hi I am a newbie to this site and to Diabetes (I have type 2)
Just at the moment I am trying to get my head around what I have been told and to accept the situation will not get any better unless I 'do as I am told(sorry advised)'.
It will take some time for me to accept it and get to get grips with what I know I have to do and then move on.
So hey ho its nearly Christmas maybe I shall have to be just a little bit more conservative with festive 'spirit'.

Michael

 

[Northerner]

Hi Michael, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, there's never a good time to hear it - how did it come about?

The first thing to say is, don't lose heart! Diabetes is a complex condition, but it can be managed well with the right knowledge and application, leading to you feeling much happier and healthier tan you may have felt for some time prior to learning you have it. Fortunately, in this internet age, you have access to thousands of people who have been where you are now, and are happy to help you find your way through the maze of information leaping out at you from all sides. Diabetes is a very individual thing - there is no 'one size fits all', although there are some good general principles you can follow to get on track. Things won't happen overnight, it's more of a marathon than a sprint, but with the right determination you will get there 🙂

I would suggest starting by reading the short documents Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter to get you started. I would also highly recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker, which many of our members have found to be immensely useful.

Have you been given a blood glucose meter and strips so you can monitor your reactions to food at home? Many GPs believe it is unnecessary to test unless you are on certain types of mediation, such as insulin, but this is not true - they are simply trying to same money. However, whilst this may hold true in the short term, unless you test you will not know which elements of your diet you tolerate well and which you should avoid - this can be a very personal thing, and what works well for one may not be so good for another.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns and we will do our best to help out - no question is considered 'silly'! 🙂

 

[Mark T]

Welcome to the forum Michael7 🙂

 

[Michael7]

Hi
My diagnosis was last Thursday, it compounded with exsiting medication for depression, thyroid, blood pressure and cholesterol - which were previously under control.
I have suspected I had a problem with the latest problem for many years, but over this last six months it had got to a stage which I would have been picked up from the floor.
The doctors have been great, I told them straight away it would take some time to get my head around this! which they accepted. They have put me on some pill of which I have to take 4 a day, until I get another blood test in early January. They say it is to try and stabilise first and then they can see where they are going.
I asked if there was anything I could do, they advised that until the next blood test in January try and concentrate on levelling my diet out in line with guidance, this will probably be eneough for now (for me as a person I have to agree)
So I am reading all sorts of things and listening to others with there own take on it which is leaving me confused as to me direction! so I am taking the doctors advice of tablets and an effort in bringing my diet in line with guidance until the next blood test in January.
Ah Well after reading some of the stories of what can happen if I carried on and left it, I think I will take the doctors advise

Regards
Michael

 

[Northerner]

Sorry to hear you have had lots of other problems to contend with Michael. The only thing I would say is, what is the guidance you have been given regarding diet? Unfortunately, there is a lot of outdated advice still been given out (I know this myself, since my Aunt was given some atrociously outdated advice on her diagnosis). Simply put, the things you need to keep an eye on are the type and quantity of carbohydrates you consume, whether in food or what you drink (fruit juice notoriously contains a lot of carbohydrate in the form of fruit sugars, despite being generally considered healthy).

What you may fnd useful is to start a food diary, noting down the amount of carbs in everything. This will give you a good handle on your current diet (or that modified to match the guidelines you have been given). It will provide a lot of useful information both for you and when you next see your doctor. People are often surprised at what they are consuming when they see it written down, as we often tend to overlook more than we might think 🙂

Good luck! I hope you get on well with the medication - is it metformin? This is the usual first medication to be given out. It can cause some gastric upset at first, but this should decrease as you become accustomed to it - if you don't then there is a slow-release version which is a little kinder. Assuming it is metformin of course, otherwise forget that last bit! 🙂